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Guard  -  1917 


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RULES  AND  REGULATIONS 


OF 


MECKLENBURG  COUNTY 
HOME  GUARD 

NORTH  CAROLINA  COUNCIL  OF  DEFENSE 


CHARLOTTE,  N.  C 

DECEMBER,  1917 


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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/rulesregulationsOOnorth 


RULES  AND  REGULATIONS 

OF 

Mecklenburg  County 
Home  Guard 

NORTH  CAROLINA  COUNCIL 
OF  DEFENSE 


i— NAME 
The    name    of    this    organization    shall    be 
"The  Mecklenburg  County  Home   Guard." 

2— OBJECT 
The  object  of  this  organization  shall  be  to 
secure  and  preserve,  in  Mecklenburg  County, 
North  Carolina,  the  observance  of  law  and 
order,  and  the  true  and  patriotic  support  of 
the  constituted  authorities  of  our  State  and 
Nation  thruout  the  period  of  the  present  war, 
and  for  these  purposes  to  serve  as  a  branch 
of  the  Mecklenburg  County  Council  of  the 
North  Carolina  Council  of  Defense,  by  and 
under  authority  of  which  it  is  created. 

3— MEMBERSHIP 
Membership  in  this  organization  shall  be 
\  confined  to  able-bodied  male  citizens  of 
^  Mecklenburg  County,  who  possess  physical 
-^  courage  and  dependability  in  time  of  stress, 
and  the  respect  and  confidence  of  their  com- 
y\  munities.  Membership  in  this  Home  Guard 
_     is   to  be   established  as   a    distinction   and   an 


honor ;  and  the  membership  shall  be  elected 
with  the  strictest  regard  to  their  high  char- 
acter,  in  order  to  attain  this  end. 

4— ORGANIZATION 

The  independent  unit  of  organization  shall 
he  the  squad.  Except  as  hereinafter  provided, 
there  shall  he  a  squad  in  each  of  the  eleven 
wards  of  the  City  of  Charlotte,  one  in  the 
village  of  Belmont-Hoskins,  and  one  in  each 
of  the  fourteen  Townships,  exclusive  of  Char- 
lotte Township,  in  Mecklenburg  County;  and 
the  number  of  men,  including  officers,  in  each 
squad  shall  he  as  now  assigned  by  the  Organi- 
zation Committee,  viz. : 
Charlotte:     Ward  1—33  men. 

Ward  2 — 16  men. 

Ward  3 — 17  men. 

Ward  4 — 28  men. 

Ward  5 — 2\   men. 

Ward  6 — 28  men. 

Ward  7 — 14  men. 

Ward  8 — 21   men. 

Ward  9 — 16  men. 

Ward  10 — 9  men. 

Ward  11 — 8  men. 

Belmont— 10  men. 
In     Each      Township      (except     Charlotte 
Township) — 11    men. 

5— OFFICERS 
The  general  command  of  this  Home  Guard 
shall  be  vested  in  a  Commander,  a  Lieutenant- 
Commander,  and  a  Junior  Lieutenant-Com- 
mander. These  officers  shall  he  elected 
annually  in  open  meeting  of  the  membership 
2 


by  a  majority  of  the  members  present,  to  hold 
office  until  their  successors  are  elected. 
They  shall  jointly  constitute  a  Governing 
Board.  It  shall  be  their  duty  as  a  Board  to 
see  to  the  maintenance  of  the  high  character 
of  the  membership,  and  to  pass  on  all  men 
proposed  for  membership ;  to  keep  in  active 
touch  with  the  constituted  authorities  having 
jurisdiction  in  this  County  over  the  general 
objects  of  this  organization;  to  determine, 
matters  of  policy  for  the  best  effectiveness 
of  the  organization  in  attaining  its  objects  as 
above  set  forth ;  and  to  communicate  such 
decisions,  thru  the  Commander,  as  orders  to 
the  Squad  Captains,  for  observance  by  them 
and  their  squads.  In  addition  to  their  col- 
lective duty,  these  officers  shall  have  particu- 
lar duties  as  follows  : 

The  Commander  alone  shall  have  authority 
to  issue  orders  to  the  Squad  Captains.  He 
shaU  preside  over  meetings  of  the  Board,  and 
over  meetings  of  the  membership  of  the  Guard. 
He  shall  call  meetings  of  the  Board,  upon  the 
request  of  any  member  of  the  Board;  and 
shall  call  meetings  of  the  Squad  Captains  or 
of  the  entire  membership  upon  the  majority 
vote  of  the  Board,  or  upon  the  request  of 
eight  or  more  Squad  Captains.  PROVIDED, 
however,  that  there  shall  be  called  at  least  one 
meeting  of  the  entire  membership  annually, 
on  the  second  Saturday  in  October,  at  eleven 
a.  m. 

The     Lieutenant-Commander     shall     act     as 
Secretary  of  this  organization,  and  shall  keep 
full  and  clear  records   of  membership,  enlist- 
3 


ments,  and  discharges,  and  shall  keep  minutes 
of  all  meetings  of  the  membership  or  of  the 
Board.  In  the  absence  of  the  Commander,  he 
shall  exercise  all  the  duties  and  authority  of 
the  Commander. 

The  Junior  Lieutenant-Commander  shall  act 
as  Treasurer  of  this  Organization,  guard  any 
funds  belonging  to  it,  and  keep  records  of  all 
receipts  and  disbursements.  In  the  absence  of 
the  Lieutenant-Commander,  he  shall  exercise 
all  the  duties  and  authority  of  the  Lieutenant- 
Commander. 

The  direct  command  of  each  independent 
squad  shall  be  vested  in  a  Squad  Captain,  who 
shall,  for  the  purposes  of  this  organization,  be 
in  full  and  absolute  command  of  his  squad, 
and  directly  responsible  for  its  activity  in 
attaining  the  objects  of  the  organization.  He 
shall  appoint  from  the  membership  of  the 
squad  under  him  a  Senior  Squad  Lieutenant 
and  a  Junior  Squad  Lieutenant,  each  of  whom, 
in  the  order  named,  shall  succeed  to  the  duties 
and  authority  of  the  next  higher  officer  in 
case  of  absence  of  such  higher  officer :  but 
only  in  such  case  shall  special  authority 
devolve  on  squad  lieutenants,  unless  especially 
delegated  by  the  Squad  Captain.  It  shall  be 
the  duty  of  every  Squad  Captain  to  maintain 
close  touch  with  all  the  members  of  his  squad, 
to  the  end  that  the  squad  shall  work  harmoni- 
ously and  as  a  unit  under  his  direction  and 
oversight. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  every  officer  of  this 
organization,  in  case  of  leaving  the  County, 
to    notifv    the    Commander,    in    order    that    in 


emergency    there    may    be    no    delay    in-  com- 
municating with  the  squads. 

6— RESIGNATIONS 
Any  member  may  resign  his  membership  in 
this  organization ;  but  such  resignation  shall 
be  made  in  writing  to  the  Squad  Captain,  by 
whom  it  shall  promptly  be  forwarded  to  the 
Commander  for  purposes  of  record. 

7— DISCHARGES 
For  good  and  sufficient  cause,  a  member 
may  be  discharged  from  this  organization  by 
his  Squad  Captain,  who  shall  promptly  in 
such  case  make  a  written  report  of  the  case 
to  the  Commander,  setting  forth  his  reasons, 
and  the  date  such  discharge  is  effective.  A 
member  so  discharged  shall  have  the  right 
of  appeal  to  the  Governing  Board,  thru  the 
Commander,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  review 
the  case ;  but  from  the  decision  of  the 
Governing  Board  there  shall  be  no  appeal. 

8— ENLISTMENTS 
Vacancies  occurring  in  the  squads  thru 
resignations  or  discharges  shall  be  promptly 
filled  by  men  nominated  in  writing  by  the 
Squad  Captain  to  the  Governing  Board, 
approved  by  them,  and  enlisted  by  the  Squad 
Captain.  Furthermore,  in  case  any  Squad 
Captain  finds  it  desirable  to  increase  the  num- 
ber of  the  membership  in  his  squad,  he  shall 
submit  his  reasons,  and  the  names  of  the  addi- 
tional men  he  desires  to  enlist,  in  writing  to 
the  Governing  Board ;  and  in  such  case  the 
Governing  Board  shall  have  the  power,  in  its 
discretion,  to  increase  the  membership  of  any 
5 


squad  by  nominees  of  its  Squad  Captain  up  to 
a  strength  not  to  exceed  twice  that  herein- 
above provided  for  that  particular  squad  ;  but 
no  new  member  shall  be  enlisted  in  any  squad 
without  the  approval  of  the  Board.  Every 
man  enlisted  shall  sign  the  following  promise, 
on  a  card  of  record  which  shall  be  provided 
for  the  purpose : 

"1  desire  to  join  the  Mecklenburg  County 
Home  Guard,  and  if  selected  as  a  member 
I  so1emuly  promise: 

''First:  To  give  whole-souled  allegiance  to 
the  United  Slates,  and  at  all  times  to  do  my 
duty  as   a  patriotic  citizen. 

"Second:  To  abide  by  all  the  Rules  and 
Regulations  of  this  Home  Guard,  and  to  obey, 
willingly  and  without  question,  all  orders  from 
its  duly  appointed  officers. 

"Signature  : 

"Witness  : " 


9-DUES 
For  the  purpose  of  defraying  the  necessary 
expenses  of  communication,  such  as  station- 
ery, printing,  postage,  telegraph  and  telephone 
tolls,  each  member  is  expected  to  pay  to  his 
Squad  Captain  the  sum  of  twenty-five  cents  ; 
the  same  to  be  turned  in  by  the  Squad 
Captain  to  the  Junior  Lieutenant-Commander. 

io— DUTIES  OF  ALL  MEMBERS 
It    shall   be    the    duty    of    every    member    of 
this  organization  : 

(a)     To  exercise  especial  watchfulness  over 
conditions  in  his  immediate  neighborhood,  and 
6 


to  report  to  his  Squad  Captain  any  evidences 
of  conditions  harmful  to  the  public  welfare; 
realizing  that  many  harmful  conditions  can 
be  more  easily  stopped  by  "words  in  their 
beginning,  than  by  force  after  they  are  well- 
rooted. 

(b)  To  use  all  means  to  put  a  stop  to  dis- 
loyal, seditious,  or  treasonable  talk  or  action ; 
realizing  that  ignorance,  or  misinformation 
coming  from  enemy  sources,  is  apt  to  be  the 
cause  of  any  such  display  by  our  citizens,  and 
that  the  prompt  and  firm  counsel  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  local  squad  can  usually  convert 
and  restrain ;  but  realizing  fully  that  nothing 
can  excuse  or  permit  to  be  overlooked  treason 
in  oi: r  midst,  and  that  in  every  such  case  it  is 
the  duly  of  every  member  of  this  organiza- 
tion carefu'ly  to  gather  evidence  which  will 
insure  conviction  and  proper  punishment  by 
the  Federal  Authorities,  if  need  be. 

(c)  To  be,  in  his  personal  life  and  con- 
versation, an  example,  and  an  active  leader  in 

1  the  neighborhood  of  his  home  and  place  of 
business,  in  active  patriotism  of  deeds,  and 
not  of  words  only;  and  to  let  all  men  near 
him  know  that  this  is  no  time  for  selfishness, 
indifference,  or  cowardice ;  but  that  whatever 
our  country  calls  on  us  to  do,  that  must  be 
thoroly  done,  and  done  cheerfully. 

(d)  To  respond  immediately,  without 
hesitation  or  questioning,  to  every  call  of  his 
Squad  Captain  made  in  the  name  of  this  Home 

•    Guard;   to  consult  and  advise  freely  with  his 
Squad  Captain,  and  to  promote  by  every  means 
in  his  power  harmony  among  the  members  of 
7 


his  squad,  its  effectiveness  of  action  as  a 
squad,  and  its  individual  and  collective  loyalty 
to  the   Squad  Captain. 

(e)  To  follow  the  principle  that  order  and 
harmony  among  our  people  is  to  be  maintained 
by  watchfulness  for  sources  of  trouble,  and  by 
prompt  and  firm  moral  suasion  by  the  men 
of  this  Home  Guard  when  the  source  is  found; 
and  that  no  use  of  force  or  of  arms  is  ever 
to  be  made  under  authority  of  this  Home 
Guard. 

(f)  To  respond  immediately  to  the  call  of 
the  Sheriff  of  this  County,  and  to  serve  as  a 
deputy  under  him  in  case  of  active  disorder 
in  the  County ;  and  under  such  authority  from 
the  Sheriff  to  use  such  force  of  arms  as  he 
shall  direct,  to  secure  law-abiding  and  order. 

(g)  To  know  the  substance  of  these  regu- 
lations, and  of  such  further  amendments  and 
additions  hereto  as  shall  be  adopted  by  the 
membership. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00032773758 


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